SIU Med School Sponsors World War II Exhibit

"Legacy of Heroes," an award-winning exhibit and film commemorating the contributions of orthopaedic surgeons during the Second World War, is being sponsored in Springfield in December by the orthopaedic surgery division at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.

The multimedia exhibit is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, from Saturday, December 11 to Thursday, December 30, at the Illinois State Military Museum, 1301 N. MacArthur Blvd., Springfield. It is on loan from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Through testimonials, it tells the courageous, inspiring and sometimes heartbreaking stories of orthopaedic surgeons and other allied health care professionals who served in World War II. This never-before documented history of orthopaedic surgeons and their wartime experiences shares personal, detailed accounts of individuals. It also chronicles the advances made in the treatment of orthopaedic trauma as a result of developments from World War II.

Many of the veterans entered the war as medics or litter-bearers and then were pushed forward as necessary to treat the wounded. They later received formal training as orthopaedic surgeons after the war. The sheer numbers of the wounded created opportunities to attempt new surgical techniques. The intricacies of hand surgery, prosthetics, and spine surgery were developed and refined as orthopaedic surgeons treated tens of thousands of casualties. Internal and external fixation, prosthetics, joint replacement, bone fusion, and the use of antibiotics were also further developed as a result of the war.

The hours of the exhibit are 1 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, except December 24-25 when the museum will be closed. Admission is free but donations to the Illinois National Guard and Militia Historical Society are welcome. Parking is available south of the museum.

More information about the project can be found at www.legacyofheroes.aaos.org. More information about the exhibit is available weekdays from SIU’s Department of Surgery, 545-7012, or the museum curator at the Illinois State Military Museum, 761-3910.

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